2013 NFL mock draft: Eagles select John Jenkins

With the 35th pick in Pride Of Detroit's 2013 NFL mock draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select Georgia defensive tackle John Jenkins. N4ry4 is serving as the Eagles' general manager, and his reasoning for the pick is below.

This was a tough call between several players.

The Eagles need a cornerback or two, but the top guys are gone and I think they can find somebody like Jordan Poyer or Logan Ryan later on.

Damontre Moore could be very good value here as a rush linebacker, but he has some concerns that pushed him down, and the Eagles have a good pass rusher in Trent Cole and just acquired Connor Barwin, who had 11.5 sacks in 2011 for Houston.

Keenan Allen falling all the way into the second round was unexpected, and I almost took him. However, the Eagles already have a decent WR corps headed by DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, and Allen's lingering leg injury, which has prevented him from working out much in the offseason, is still a concern.

Ultimately, I decided to opt for John Jenkins, the massive defensive tackle from Georgia. Yes, the Eagles did just sign Isaac Sopoaga from the 49ers, but because of the physical demands of playing on the interior D-line, Sopoaga's age (32 and going on 10 NFL seasons) and the fact that Jenkins can rotate in at the other interior spots as well, I think they'll get a lot of value out of Jenkins.

Jenkins, at 6-4, 350-ish, is a big, big fellow. He's very tough to move off the line, and he can be an impact run defender right away. He's surprisingly agile for such a big man, though, and he flashes the ability to push the pocket back and put some pressure on the QB, so he's not strictly a run stuffer only. He even beat Chance Warmack for a sack against Alabama in the SEC Championship. The best pro comparison for Jenkins might be former Lion Shaun Rogers.

Like Rogers, my only concern with Jenkins is that he lets himself get too heavy and isn't able to maintain his dominant form without getting winded. There were reports that he played at over 370 at some points in the season, and that's just too big. But hey, this is the NFL. I'm sure they can get him some contract incentives to stay in shape and offer some good conditioning coaching. If he's close to being as good a pro DT as Rogers was, he'll more than justify his draft status.

Bottom line: John Jenkins can play right away in several different alignments on the interior of Philly's 3-4, provide a very tough matchup for any O-lineman who tries to block him one-on-one and serve as their nose tackle over the long term.

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Check out the 2013 Pride Of Detroit Community Mock Draft tracker for a look at all of the picks.